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Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dysphagia in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

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Abstract

Dysphagia is one of the most common symptoms in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. It can reduce the quality of life and increase the risk of mortality by developing complications such as aspiration pneumonia. The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of dysphagia in MS patients and investigate the associations between dysphagia and disease characteristics. The Persian version of the DYMUS questionnaire was used to assess dysphagia in 865 patients with MS, including 738 (85.3%) relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), 106 (12.3%) secondary progressive MS (SPMS), and 21 (2.4%) primary progressive MS (PPMS). Also, demographic and clinical data, including age, sex, smoking status, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, disease duration, disease-modifying therapies exposure, initial symptoms of MS, were recorded. The mean (SD) age was 37.95(9.25) years, and 83.1% of the participants were female. The prevalence of dysphagia was estimated to be 25.4% among all patients. According to the DYMUS questionnaire results, the prevalence of dysphagia in RRMS, SPMS, and PPMS patients was 22.2%, 44.3%, and 42.9%, respectively. After multivariate analysis the current EDSS score (OR = 1.197, CI: 1.062, 1.350, p = 0.003), cerebellar impairment (OR = 1.335, CI: 1.450, 4.716, p = 0.004) and motor dysfunction (OR = 1.651, CI: 1.004, 2.715, p = 0.048) emerged as the risk factors for dysphagia. Since dysphagia, as previously mentioned, is a common symptom in multiple sclerosis, particularly in SPMS and PPMS courses, active screening for this condition is recommended in all patients, particularly those with identified risk factors.

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Funding

This study was funded by Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Isfahan Neurosciences Research Center, Alzahra Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mahdi Barzegar, Omid Mirmosayeb, Mina Rezaei, Nasim Nehzat & Vahid Shaygannejad

  2. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mahdi Barzegar, Omid Mirmosayeb & Vahid Shaygannejad

  3. Universal Council of Epidemiology (UCE), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network, USERN), Tehran, Iran

    Omid Mirmosayeb & Nasim Nehzat

  4. Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Toften 24, 8610, Mo i Rana, Norway

    Geir Bjørklund

  5. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran

    Geir Bjørklund & Alireza Afshari-Safavi

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  1. Mahdi Barzegar
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  2. Omid Mirmosayeb
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Correspondence to Geir Bjørklund or Vahid Shaygannejad.

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Barzegar, M., Mirmosayeb, O., Rezaei, M. et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dysphagia in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Dysphagia 37, 21–27 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-021-10245-z

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